


he laughs in flowers (and in my heart lies every bloom)

by idontwrite



Category: Wanna One (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Flower Shop & Tattoo Parlor, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-14
Updated: 2018-11-14
Packaged: 2019-08-23 14:54:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,262
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16621130
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/idontwrite/pseuds/idontwrite
Summary: “A flower shop,” a voice says, and when Jaehwan turns around, it’s the tall man with fox eyes from a couple of days ago. There is still the marks on his pale neck that Jaehwan takes note of. “I wouldn’t have guessed.”Jaehwan manages a small laugh. “Yeah,” is all he is able to say, because the man—who seems to have come from nowhere—heads to the tattoo parlor again.or every fandom needs a tattoo parlor / flower shop au





	he laughs in flowers (and in my heart lies every bloom)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [charmandu](https://archiveofourown.org/users/charmandu/gifts).



> for @charmandu :)

Dalcheon District is far quieter than Jaehwan had expected for a business side of his new town. Granted, he arrived at a dead Tuesday afternoon after moving out of the even quieter town of Namwon a few districts over, but he had expected at least more people milling about, especially since the town mall is just nearby. Instead, all he can see in the midst of the burning afternoon heat are parked cars on the side of the street. Right in front of his shop is a bright red sedan that looked like it needed a wash four months back. He will have to deal with that and customer parking when he has officially opened his shop.

Jaehwan’s flower shop is at the ground floor of the quaint brownstone home he got from a distant uncle who passed away. His parents had asked why move to Dalcheon, of all places, especially to a place that had no meaning to him, but he only said it’s easier to start something for himself there, especially with the house given to him.

He eyes the glass wall he had installed to replace the original window and brick wall. He could see the mess waiting for him inside, but he pictures the array of flowers he could display from there. He will need two tables, maybe three. He glances at the small wooden sign nailed just above the doorway that read _Spring Blooms_ and smiles. He could go about other changes soon, when he has finally settled. The plan is to have the rest of the first floor as his dining room and kitchen, and the second floor will be his bedroom-slash-home office, while the small attic would be where everything that wouldn’t fit the first two floors would go.

That will be the plan, at least, when he finishes unpacking.  His flowers and plants will be delivered by Friday, which means he at least has to finish the shop preparations in two days, then he can finally open the shop.

Jaehwan sighs and looks at the direction where the moving truck had gone a few minutes ago, then glances back to his future storefront. Taking his phone from his back pocket, he snaps a quick picture of his new place.

“That place is cursed,” a voice says, and Jaehwan whips his attention to the source. He finds a tall man with dark hair and a jawline chiseled by unnamed gods, wearing jeans and a leather jacket over a white tee, a paper bag in his arms. The man tilts his head, and Jaehwan notices some marks behind his right ear, barely hidden by his hair. “Just saying,” he continues.

Jaehwan blinks, confused, but before he could ask, the man leaves, pulling out keys from his jacket pocket. He heads to the shop right beside Jaehwan’s, calls out good luck right over his shoulder, then closes the door, leaving Jaehwan baffled. The florist steps back to check where the stranger had gone. The next door is to a tattoo parlor, one of the shops in the three-storey commercial complex beside Jaehwan’s brownstone. There is a neon sign that reads _Luna_ behind its glass wall, beside it several posters of what Jaehwan guesses are different tattoo designs.

Wait.

Cursed?

//

Jaehwan orders three wooden tables for the shop and has them delivered by Thursday. He has successfully unpacked his things for the dining and kitchen area, has prepared his things for the opening of the store come Saturday—not that he expected a lot of people to come anyway. He still has to finish his website and do promotions on social media just to gain awareness, but at the very least, the store is ready for business. When the night rolls in, he is all too ready to pass out on his bed, but he manages to upload photos of his arrangements on Instagram and on his online shop before succumbing to exhaustion.

He barely has energy to get up the next morning, but his deliveries are due.  He guides the delivery men to where to put the plants and the flowers inside as he checks the inventory. His supplier had suggested selling fruits aside from his flowers as supplementary income. He will have to bring them out by crates by tomorrow, maybe earlier in the day so he could sell some to early risers.

“A flower shop,” a voice says, and when Jaehwan turns around, it’s the tall man with fox eyes from a couple of days ago. There is still the marks on his pale neck that Jaehwan takes note of. “I wouldn’t have guessed.”

Jaehwan manages a small laugh. “Yeah,” is all he is able to say, because the man—who seems to have come from nowhere—heads to the tattoo parlor again.

Someone who works there, then?

//

When Jaehwan finishes his inventory and the delivery men had left, he gathers up a few daffodils and a couple of business cards. After locking up the shop, he makes his way to the buildings to the right of the brownstone. There is a vacant lot that is for sale beside the brownstone, but after it is a row of more stores. He walks into each one, offers a daffodil and his card, and introduces himself.

Most of the other shopkeepers are nice; there is a pretty man who introduced himself as Daehwi who owns a studio, and next to his shop is Sweet Ecstasy, half a candy store and half a bakery ran by a red-haired man with a cute snaggletooth who introduced himself as Woojin. The space next to them is being renovated, and Woojin shared it’s going to be an extension of the bakery.

“A cafe,” Woojin says with a grin. “At least we know where to get flowers for the opening day from.”

The other shopkeepers aren’t as friendly as Woojin, however. A blonde woman in the electric store didn’t seem pleased by Jaehwan’s visit, and the receptionist of the salon beside it sent Jaehwan away before he could even hand his card.

Jaehwan made his way back to his shop to restock his daffodils, then resumed to the remaining stores—first up was the tattoo parlor beside his store.

Right. The mysterious man.

The florist makes his way to the door and pushes it when he saw the open sign is up. The sight that greets his isn’t at all what he expected; then again, Jaehwan doesn’t know what to expect of a tattoo parlor. The studio is almost as big as his place—there is a divider in the middle, boxing off where he assumes the magic happens. There is a reclining seat set up on one side, beside it another chair, and against the wall are shelves and metal boxes arranged meticulously. On the wall are posters similar to the ones displayed against the glass wall—various photographs of people with tattoos and artworks—along with one or two abstract paintings.

“Hello?” Jaehwan calls out. He isn’t given an answer. Walking further into the room, he finds a half-finished painting on a canvas on the other side of the room divider. The other side is dimly lit, its walls painted a dark blue, but Jaehwan can see the bunch of flowers painted on the lower part of the canvas. The chair in front of it is vacant, but the table beside it is littered with brushes and various paints. A tall cup with the logo of Sweet Ecstasy sits on the desk too.

The sound of footsteps take Jaehwan’s attention. He looks up to find the tall, mysterious man emerging from the staircase at the corner that he hasn’t noticed. The man doesn’t seem to notice him, too, if the way he jumps a little when he looks up is any indication. He almost drops the palette and tubes of paint in his hands.

Jaehwan smiles apologetically. “Sorry, the sign said you were open.”

The man nods, though Jaehwan wonders if he is pissed. He doesn’t say anything, just walks to the table to put down the items in his hands. Jaehwan watches him. He is wearing a black long sleeve shirt that had some paint splatters on the hem. He shakes his head lightly, then clears his throat.

“Are those for me?” The man asks, gesturing to the daffodils in Jaehwan’s hand.

“Oh!” Jaehwan chuckles nervously and looks down at the flowers. He manages a nod, and before he could even remember that he was supposed to give one flower per store, he is already handing the bunch to the man. “Yes, I was—” He scratches the back of his neck with his free hand. “Yeah.”

The tall man raises an eyebrow but reaches for them anyway. Jaehwan clears his throat as the tall man examines them. “What do these mean?” He asks.

Jaehwan blushes. “What?”

“These, Mandu,” the man says with an amused little smile as he lifts the flowers in his hand. Jaehwan fidgets, his throat dry, because no one else had assumed the flowers had meaning—probably because Jaehwan started with a spiel of how he runs the new flower shop in town and how he is taking orders starting today. Said spiel has been forgotten along with every other word Jaehwan is supposed to know, because the man is looking at him so intensely, like he is studying him, and the heat on his cheeks blossoms further when the tall man tilts his head just so as he waits for an answer.

Wait, did he—

Okay, granted, the man is _gorgeous—_ Jaehwan isn’t blind and he most definitely is gay, but it isn’t like—

The man’s little smile turns into more of a smirk. “Flowers have meanings right?” He asks.

Jaehwan finally understands his question. He breathes out a laugh as his gay panic dissolves away. “Oh, yeah, I—” He clears his throat. “Uh. Daffodils. They mean new beginnings.”

“To new beginnings then,” the man says. He  tilts his head again, nods, and gestures behind him. “I’ll put these in a vase. Do you need anything else?”

Jaehwan blinks. He needs to tell the man that he has just opened his flower shop for business, but he probably already knew that considering they are neighbors. He wants to say the rest of his spiel—that he is accepting custom arrangements, and that he has social media pages and a website where people can order—but nothing comes out. Instead, he could only stare at the tall, _gorgeous_ man.

“Jaehwan,” he finally says. “My—” He clears his throat again, clasps his hands in front of him. “My name’s Jaehwan.”

The man smiles. “Sure,” he drawls. “See you around, Mandu.”

//

Only when Jaehwan has finished going around the stores to the left of his flower shop—after he had returned to get more daffodils since that mysterious man had snatched the whole bunch Jaehwan got, nevermind the fact that he willingly handed them to him—does he realize that he didn’t get the name of the man in the tattoo parlor.

He realizes when he gets home that the said mysterious man called him Mandu. Twice.  

“Is it the cheeks? I hate him,” he huffs, flipping the Closed sign to Open and sends a glare to the direction of the tattoo parlor.

//

Jaehwan doesn’t see the man again. He doesn’t mysteriously show up while Jaehwan arranges the flowers on display every morning to ominously warn the florist of the brownstone curse, or make some comment about how he wouldn’t have guessed Jaehwan would open a flower shop beside his tattoo parlor. It’s odd, considering they are neighbors, but Jaehwan chalks it up to their schedules, especially since work is picking up. Between selling fruits and flowers and designing arrangements, and networking with event organizers and occasionally visiting his family during the weekends, he barely notices that he hasn’t seen the dark-haired man. Jaehwan hears music from his place at night though—not the loud punk rock music he somehow expected but rather epic classical pieces—and he remembers the painting the man had been working on. Was he done? Was he working on another piece?

The following days become better for his business—the fruits sell quickly, thanks to early morning joggers and moms who walk by on their way to Sweet Ecstasy, and every now and then there is the occasional customer who gets bouquets for their loved ones, or a fresh bunch of flowers or succulents for their homes. Jaehwan gets a few orders online, too, and come the next week, he has managed to hire Jisung, a man who worked for the local newspaper, to do his deliveries for him.

Woojin drops by some time later to order a couple of arrangements for the opening of Sweet Ectasy’s cafe and to personally invite Jaehwan to come. Jaehwan agrees and promises to go, even offers a discount that Woojin politely declines. The redhead also buys a large bouquet of red roses—for the husband, he says with an endeared smile—before leaving, and calls out _maybe you could come with Minhyun!_ over his shoulder as he walks out the door.

Who’s Minhyun?

//

On the day of Sweet Ecstasy Cafe’s grand opening, Jaehwan has Jisung deliver the pair of lovely floral stands and the various centerpieces Woojin had ordered a little during mid-afternoon, giving the organizers enough time to prepare for the opening that evening. Jaehwan finishes inventory and gets ready to close shop when a raven-haired man comes in, wearing a nice suit and tie, looking a little breathless.

“Please tell me you’re still open,” he says with a plea in his voice. Jaehwan gives him a smile and nods.

“Sure thing. What do you need?”

“Thank you,” the man sighs. “Work ran late and I—” He shakes his head and shakes his head apologetically.  “Um. Your biggest bunch of red roses and sunflowers, please. Maybe lilies, too?”

Jaehwan pauses from taking a pair of light pink and black floral wrap to grin at the man. “Good eye,” he says, then rounds the counter to pick a couple of the bigger sunflowers. “Big day?”

The man laughs. “You can say that. My boyfriend’s opening his café part of the bakery a few stores down.”

“Wait,” Jaehwan puts the yellow flowers on the wrap, takes his shears to snip away some leaves. “Woojin?” He is sure Woojin mentioned _husband_ when he bought roses.

The man’s eyes widen and he shakes his head vehemently. “Oh dear god, no,” he laughs. “Daniel. They’re business partners, him and two-Park. It’s what we call Woojin and Jihoon.”

“Oh, sorry,” Jaehwan chuckles. He goes on to add the roses and white lilies. “I don’t think I’ve met him. Daniel and Jihoon, I mean.”

Realization seems to dawn on the customer. “You’re Jaehwan,” he exclaims. “Woojin has mentioned you. Jihoon adored the flowers.”

Jihoon. Jaehwan figures he is the husband. “That’s me,” he chuckles.

“I’m Seong-wu,” the man introduces. Jaehwan pauses to shake his hand, before Seong-wu apologizes for bothering his work. The florist dismisses the apology with a light chuckle then continues finishing up the arrangement.

“Here you go,” Jaehwan says, handing the bouquet to Seong-wu as he gives his total. He accepts it with a grin and a hushed _it’s beautiful_ and hands Jaehwan his payment. “I’ll make sure to send my congratulations later,” Jaehwan says as he notes the purchase down and sets it aside.

Seong-wu grins. “You should. Drag Minhyun with you while you’re at it.”

Jaehwan looks up from his notebook with a bite of his lip. “I— Who’s Minhyun?” He asks dumbly. “Woojin has mentioned him last time but—”

“He hasn’t introduced himself,” Seong-wu supplies. The raven-haired man laughs knowingly and shakes his head. “I probably shouldn’t, but he’s your neighbor.  A friend of ours, and he’s done a few tattoos of mine.” He grins. “You could go knock later, before you go to the cafe, in case he wants to go.”

Jaehwan looks confused for a  moment. “We’re not… Friends.”

Seong-wu waves a hand. “We all know each other in this block,” he promises, then makes his way out the door. “Tell him it’s about time,” he adds with a smile, then says he’ll see them later.

The florist blinks at the doorway, still confused.

About time for what?

//

Still entirely too confused but already at the edge of being late for the opening of Sweet Ecstasy’s Cafe, Jaehwan takes his basket of freshly-arranged carnations and daisies and leaves home to head to the tattoo parlor, Woojin’s and Seong-wu’s invitation in his mind. He hesitates before knocking, smooths down his sweatshirt and kicks aside the idea that he should have worn a suit or something else, then finally knocks.

The tall man opens the door, looking a little annoyed, caught in the middle of putting on a leather jacket. Jaehwan catches sight of his left arm littered with tattoos he hasn’t really seen the first few times he has seen the man. The man’s expression softens when he sees who is on the other side of the door and a ghost of a smirk graces his lips.

“Those for me, Jaehwannie?” He says as a greeting, pushing his arm through the sleeve of his jacket then fixing the already-immaculate collar with both hands.

Jaehwan notices the black choker wrapped snugly around his pale neck. His jaw drops, and he glances at the basket of flowers in his hand in an attempt to focus on coming up with an answer. “They’re for—”

“Sweet Ecstasy,” the man supplies. “I know. I’ve been told you’ll be dragging me. Come on.”

He doesn’t say anything else then, instead slips out the door and locks it. Jaehwan blinks at him a few times as he starts walking—he is wearing a shirt with his leather jacket, dark jeans tucked in his boots, and Jaehwan doesn’t feel too conscious about his outfit anymore.

“You coming, Mandu?” The man calls out without looking back at Jaehwan. The florist huffs before jogging after the man.

“My name is Jaehwan,” he mutters, finally catching up and walking beside the tall man. Glancing up at him, Jaehwan notices the marks behind his ear. A tattoo, like he first thought. He thinks it’s of a dandelion in the wind. “You haven’t told me your name,” Jaehwan points out.  

The man barely looks at him. “Pretty sure you’ve been told, _Jaehwannie_ ,” he says. He spares Jaehwan a glance. “Call me whatever you want.”

Jaehwan makes a small sound and bites his lip. “Minhyun it is, then.”

Minhyun only makes a small sound that is not affirmation but is not a violent reaction either. Jaehwan puffs his cheeks with air and walks in silence. The streets are livelier this time of night, with cars speeding past and people making their way to their dinner and evening plans. Sweet Ecstasy is not that long of a walk from the tattoo parlor, but Jaehwan realizes he doesn’t like the silence—especially when he knows nothing about Minhyun.

So he starts the conversation. “How long have you had the shop?”

Surprisingly, Minhyun answers. “A couple of years. I live upstairs.”

“Oh.” Jaehwan glances at his and nods. That explains why he rarely sees him leave. Or even see him, in general. When Minhyun doesn’t say anything else, Jaehwan bites his lip. “I just moved in. I live upstairs, too.”

The taller man makes a small sound. “I did wonder why.”

“You did?”

“Yeah,” Minhyun drawls. “Then I realized it’s none of my business.”

Jaehwan laughs shyly. So Minhyun is guarded and stingy with details. “I needed a new pace,” Jaehwan adds anyway, just to keep the silence at bay. He could already hear the music from Sweet Ecstasy, could see the people making their way.

“Life around here isn’t much of that,” Minhyun says, surprising Jaehwan. “More like a crawl.”

The florist smiles at that. “I appreciate it better.”

The café is bustling with life and chatter when they arrive. Jaehwan finds Woojin and a  _pink_ -haired man talking to people. Seong-wu is by the wine table, pouring drinks into glasses, and Jaehwan looks around for other familiar faces when a dark-haired man walks his way.

“You must be Jaehwan!” The man grins. “I’m Daniel. Your flowers are lovely!”

Jaehwan smiles at him and offers the basket in his hand. “Here are more of them,” he says with a laugh. “Congratulations on the cafe.”

“Thank you. I see you managed to bring out our friend here,” Daniel says, gesturing at Minhyun. The artist isn’t as enthusiastic, even rolls his eyes. Jaehwan chuckles nervously, not entirely knowing what to do.

“Don’t look at me,” Minhyun drawls. Daniel scrunches his nose to hold back a laugh and turns to Jaehwan instead.

“So,” Daniel starts, a slow smile taking over his features, and there is something about him that makes Jaehwan excited. Must be his sunny disposition. Daniel claps once and beams. “Shall I introduce you to the rest of the town before I offer you the best cakes you’ll ever taste?”

//

Jaehwan is introduced to everyone in attendance—not quite literally everyone in town, but a lot of people, most of them Jaehwan doesn’t even remember. He shakes everyone’s hands though, and it’s Daniel who brings up that he runs a flower shop. Seong-wu joins Daniel in showing Jaehwan around, and the florist meets Woojin’s Jihoon, too, who is apparently a baker and quite well-known in town.

The whole time Jaehwan walks around the rather spacious and cozy cafe to meet people, his gaze is drawn back to where Minhyun is. He finds a seat near the refreshments table and helps himself to some amber-colored liquid. Jaehwan quickly looks away when Minhyun glances at him, worried about being caught looking—but Minhyun catching him looking just means he was looking at him, Jaehwan thinks, and he dismisses the thought with a bite of his lip.  

Minhyun is… Something. Jaehwan doesn’t quite know how to put it, but the mysterious aura about him stokes the curious fire he feels. He doesn’t think it’s the loneliness of being in a new town and the need to latch on to people’s company. He has friends. He is still in contact with his friends from Namwon, after all. Jisung is a great friend too, and so is Woojin when Jaehwan finds him at the bakery, but a part of his wants to sate some the curiosity about his neighbor.  

Or maybe it’s because of the fact that he could count on one hand the number of times he has seen the Minhyun in the two months since he has moved in. His interest is piqued, that’s all.

Of course, there is also the other plausible reason for this itch to know Minhyun. He is charming, gorgeous, and if the tattoo parlor was any indication, talented, and well, Jaehwan’s just a boy.

A voice in his head tells him to just pine from a distance, but there is nothing stopping him from doing exactly that _while_ being friends with Minhyun, right? He just has to get to that being friends part.

He sighs and takes the final bite of the sample of cakes Jihoon had offered him. He has to agree with Daniel that they are indeed great cakes. Thankfully he hasn’t had dinner then, because otherwise he wouldn’t have finished the plate, but when he was done the hosts had already excused themselves to go around the cafe and entertain their guests. Jaehwan sits quietly in his chair, just looking around, and almost jumps when someone walks up to him.

“I’m heading home,” Minhyun mumbles as he shoves his hands in his jacket pockets. “Do you- You can walk with me if you want.”

Jaehwan blinks a few times at the offer then stands to nod. “Yeah, it’s kind of late,” he agrees. They congratulate two-Park and Daniel again, and they offer Jaehwan hugs as if they had known him for a while. They pull Minhyun into hugs, too, and the man grunts as if he doesn’t like the contact, but Jaehwan catches sight of the smallest hint of a smile as Minhyun pulls away and tells Daniel _you’re one to talk._

Minhyun turns to Jaehwan and tells him they should go. Jaehwan gives the group a wave, and he chuckles as Daniel waves back excitedly.

“They’re lovely,” Jaehwan tells Minhyun when they are walking to the direction of their apartments.

“Annoying, but sure,” the artist mutters.

Jaehwan laughs lightly and glances at the taller man, ever curious. The night is growing cold. Jaehwan crosses his arms to fight back a shudder. “You all seem close,” he says instead.

Minhyun shrugs. “I’ve done their tattoos and piercings.”

“Ah.” Jaehwan smiles. It only makes him even more curious, wondering why Minhyun would deem those who consider his as a friend as clients. There is that almost irrational want to befriend him again, and he wonders if, should they ever become friends , Minhyun would only ever consider him a neighbor. He sighs to himself and glances to Minhyun, who looks ahead of him as if Jaehwan wasn’t walking beside him.

Considering this little… crush of his, Jaehwan thinks he may have a type—men who can’t spare him a second  glance. It happened once, in high school, with the student council president, and then a couple of times in college: a teaching assistant, a fraternity brother, that one-night stand that turned into his best friend until they grew apart.

Maybe his place isn’t cursed. Maybe he is.

“Hey,” Minhyun calls out, and when Jaehwan looks up, the taller man has stopped walking and is a few steps behind him. He realizes they are already in front of their shops, and Jaehwan had been too into his thoughts that he did not notice.

“Sorry, I was...” He purses his lips. Was what? Jaehwan shakes his head and gestures to his door. “Would you—” Minhyun looks at him, the way that looks like he is studying him again, or like he is trying to memorize Jaehwan, or worse, like he is remembering him. Jaehwan is sure he hasn’t seen him before he moved to the town, but the sheer idea of forgetting a face like Minhyun’s makes a blush crawl up his neck. “I have some good tea, if you’d like some,” the florist offers awkwardly.

Minhyun scrunches his nose. “Not the tea type,” he says, then shuts his mouth quickly like he hadn’t meant to say that. Jaehwan bites his lip, but Minhyun bobs his head to the direction of his place like he wasn’t just staring at Jaehwan. “Good night, Mandu,” he adds before leaving.

Jaehwan watches as he leaves, mumbles a good night after his retreating form, and when he realizes he is staring, he blushes further and shakes his head before hurrying inside.

Useless.

//

Jaehwan is just finishing an arrangement for delivery to Seong-wu’s office to the city over when Minhyun comes in, wearing a dark blue long sleeve and jeans stained with paint. The florist is surprised at the sight of him, and it must show because Minhyun purses his lips and hesitates before practically spitting his reason for visiting.

“I need flowers,” he mumbles. He shoves his hands into his pants’ back pockets. “To send my well wishes,” he adds, eyeing the flowers around the shop.

Jaehwan beams at him. Finally, something he can talk about—a fleeting similar interest, but a point of conversation nonetheless. “Of course,” he replies, mind already racing with possibilities. “Can I- Who is it for?”

Minhyun walks towards the rows of roses. “A friend,” he answers, looking up at Jaehwan. “He, um. Got sick recently.”

A friend. Jaehwan nods and points to the vase of daisies. “Daisies are the usual choice because they mean cheerfulness and positivity,” he explains, then gestures to the bunch of peonies of various pink shades next to the daisies. “Peonies stand for healing, so obviously, they’re also a great choice, but I’d suggest some hydrangeas.” He walks over to the rows of pink and purple flowers, touches the petals gently and grins at Minhyun. “Less common, but they mean perseverance, which, well, some people need sometimes, you know?”

Minhyun looks at the flowers, then glances up at Jaehwan to nod. His lack of enthusiasm makes the smile on Jaehwan’s face dim. “That’s a yes?” He asks, unsure.

“Yeah,” Minhyun mumbles.

“To what?”

Minhyun sighs and shrugs. “The hydrangeas are pretty.”

Jaehwan bites his lip and nods. He takes a large white square from his rack of floral wraps along with a light blue shade of mesh fiber sheet that complements the hydrangeas.

“Something tells me you don’t get flowers for someone regularly,” he notes softly as he arranges the bouquet on the table.

The man ungracefully snorts as he lightly flicks a sunflower. “I’m not exactly the type to have people to send flowers to,” he mutters.

Jaehwan looks up at him from where he adds some baby’s-breath with the purple blooms. Minhyun is studying the different flowers lined up against the wall, his hands still firmly in his back pockets. Jaehwan finds it adorable before he could even stop himself. “The type to receive flowers more like,” he chuckles, then blushes when he realizes what he said. He puts laser focus on his task but feels Minhyun staring at him, and Jaehwan wishes for the earth to open up and swallow him whole.

When he finishes the bouquet, he hands it to the man with an embarrassed smile. Minhyun takes it in his arms.

“How much?” He asks.

“It’s on the house,” Jaehwan says with a nervous chuckle. “Since it’s the first one you got here.”

Minhyun stares at him for a moment. He manages a smile and thanks Jaehwan stiffly, then leaves with a polite nod goodbye, bouquet in his arms.

“The type to receive flowers more like?” Jaehwan mocks with a roll of his eyes when Minhyun is gone. He takes the clippings from the hydrangea arrangement and dumps them in the trash. With a dramatic sigh, he glances at the doorway.

He highly doubts there will be a next time.

//

Minhyun returns a few weeks later. Jaehwan is doing inventory for the end of the day when he comes in, dressed up in an outfit similar to the one he wore during Sweet Ecstasy’s opening.

“Sign says you’re still open?” Minhyun says as a form of greeting. He brings his hands to his jacket pockets as Jaehwan sets his logbook aside.

He hopes the smile on his face isn’t too relieved. “Yeah! How are- Um, what can I help you with?”

Minhyun looks around for a moment. “A housewarming gift,” he says. “For ah, a friend I haven’t seen in a while.”

Jaehwan nods and bites back the word vomit of suggestions he has, considering Minhyun’s last visit to the shop. “Okay,” he says instead. “Anything you had in mind?”

Minhyun glances at Jaehwan, a frown on his eyebrows. “Oh. I was hoping you had suggestions,” he says softly.

The florist manages a smile at that, his worry of being too excitable dissipating. “Well, for a housewarming gift I’d suggest houseplants. Succulents are low-maintenance and require small space but if your, um, friend has some space to spare, maybe orchids?” He walks to the table where he had a couple of the plants on display. He gestures to them and looks up to meet Minhyun’s gaze; at least the man is listening intently now, and Jaehwan fights back a blush at the attention. “The blue ones are- um, they stand for spirituality, while the pink ones represent joy and happiness. Both give a great color to one’s home.”

Minhyun slowly nods as he looks down at the flowers. When he doesn’t answer, Jaehwan gestures vaguely behind him. “I… I also have some herbs if your friend cooks?”

“You seem to really know your flowers,” Minhyun blurts out as he meets Jaehwan’s gaze again.

The florist laughs softly and scratches his left temple. “I… Yeah,” he chuckles. “I grew up with a garden back home and my mom…” He trails off with a shrug.

“She helps around?” Minhyun asks.

Jaehwan smiles. “She’s back home.”

Minhyun nods slowly. “Right. Um. I’ll get the pink orchids.”

“Right!” Jaehwan moves to take the pot of pink orchids, blinking away the surprise at where their conversation has gone. He wraps it up in a craft bag and hands it to Minhyun with his total.

“Do you have a card?” Minhyun asks as he pays.

“What?”

“A business card,” Minhyun says. “With your number. Should my friend need to call for herbs.”

“Oh.” Jaehwan nods and opens the drawer to grab one. He hands it to Minhyun and notices, yet again, the dandelions barely hidden behind the man’s ear. “That’s beautiful,” he notes.

Minhyun furrows his eyebrows, but when Jaehwan gestures to his own ear as he offers the card, the customer shrugs and takes it. “You should see the rest of me.”

Jaehwan flusters at that. Minhyun thanks his for the card and the plant, then leaves with a little wave. Jaehwan stares at the doorway where he had gone and sighs.

“Okay, fine,” he mutters to himself as he runs his hand through his hair. “Maybe a bigger crush than expected. Shit.”

//

The rest of Minhyun, Jaehwan discovers, is littered with tattoos. He thinks he shouldn’t really be surprised but he is; Jaehwan catches sight of some of them one time he makes his way back to his apartment with a paper bag of food in tow. He finds Minhyun replacing the display posters on his glass wall with one about discounts for first-time customers. Minhyun is not wearing the long sleeved shirts Jaehwan usually sees him in, but instead has a black sleeveless shirt on. Jaehwan finds himself smiling and waving through the glass.

Minhyun pauses and blinks at Jaehwan before awkwardly waving back at him. Grinning now, Jaehwan puts the paper bag in one arm and gestures to it with his free hand.

“Cool tattoos,” he says.

Minhyun just stares. Jaehwan repeats himself with a little laugh, and he watches Minhyun walk away to disappear behind the divider. He pops his head out the door.

“Sorry, what was that?” He asks Jaehwan.

The florist bites his lip, surprised that Minhyun actually went out. “I said, cool tattoos.” He grins and looks at Minhyun’s left arm, littered with various inkwork of different colors. The sleeve starts from his wrist, which explains why Jaehwan never noticed, moving up his whole arm; Jaehwan notices patterns crawling up his forearm, surrounding what looks like birds and roses, the flowers dissolving into a cityscape before it transitions beautifully into waves on his rather toned bicep. The waves taper off into words Jaehwan can’t make out with one glance.

“Oh.” Minhyun looks down at them and awkwardly laughs. “Thanks.”

Jaehwan smiles, looks at Jaehwan’s arms again, then lifts the paper bag in his arm. “Have you eaten?” He asks. Not that he bought food for two, but he did get extra dumplings. “I got some food from the place at the corner.”

Minhyun opens his mouth to speak, closes it, before finally replying. “I was planning to cook something, actually.”

“Ah, right. More for me,” Jaehwan says with a chuckle and a tilt of his head. “Anyway, have a good day.”

The man nods. “You too, Jaehwannie.”

Jaehwan nods, too, and ducks out of the conversation with a little flush at Minhyun’s greeting.

//

One early Saturday morning, Jaehwan is arranging his freshly delivered fruits on the crates outside the shop when a motorcycle roars to a stop just in front of the tattoo parlor. The rider dismounts the sleek black bike, takes of their helmet, and Jaehwan almost drops the paper bag of oranges in his arms when he discovers it’s Minhyun, his perfect hair framing his perfect face and looking rather dapper in the shirt and bomber jacket he is wearing, the sleeves rolled up to reveal a sliver of his inkwork.

“Hey Jaehwannie,” Minhyun says with a nod as he tucks his helmet on one arm, then he is making his way to his shop.

Jaehwan blinks at where he stood, at the motorcycle, then he sighs heavily. “Hey,” he says to no one in particular, dumps the oranges into the crate, and walks into his shop to grab a bottle of cold water from the kitchen fridge.

Oh dear god.

//

Daniel comes in one day to get flowers for Seong-wu

“He filled up my office with flowers once,” Daniel shares as Jaehwan gathers the pale yellow lillies to add them to the bunch of roses and tulips he has already arranged. “I’m really glad you opened. The only other shop in town is ran by this guy who can’t fathom the idea of men buying flowers for their _male_ lovers,” he adds with a laugh.

“Male lovers are mostly my market here,” Jaehwan shoots back with a chuckle. He wraps the flowers with the tissue and mesh sheet and ties it off with a large ribbon. Jaehwan bites his lip, and before he could really think it through, he is already asking. “You’re friends with Minhyun, right?”

Daniel lights up with a smile and nods enthusiastically, then laughs. “You can say that. It’s mostly us imposing our friendship on him. He’s a little closed off.”

“Tell me about it,” Jaehwan mumbles.

Daniel smiles in understanding. “You’ll get used to him. You’re already miles ahead of us considering he offered to walk you back the other week.” Jaehwan laughs and hands Daniel the bouquet. “You want him out of his shell, though, you go to his turf.” The customer grins and accepts the flowers. “I hope you aren’t afraid of needles.”

Jaehwan blinks.

Well. He guesses he has always wanted a tattoo.

//

A few days later, Jaehwan passes by the tattoo parlor with lunch in hand and sees the promotion poster still up.  He thinks about it while he eats lunch. On one hand, he has always wanted a tattoo—something simple and meaningful perhaps—but on the other hand, is he really going to get one just to get close to Minhyun?

With the other option being coming up to Minhyun and telling him he likes him and maybe asking him out, getting a tattoo seems like the easier choice.

“Pathetic,” he mutters as he takes a bunch of petunias, wraps them in craft paper, and heads to the tattoo shop. The sign says _open_ so he pushes the door and walks in, but finds Minhyun on the other side of the divider, hair a bit messy, as he busies himself with working on a painting. Jaehwan is about to call his attention but realizes he shouldn’t bother the man so instead, Jaehwan stands and waits until the artist pauses in his work. He takes note of Minhyun’s studio as he waits. The painting he had seen the first time he came over was done—it’s a field of flowers and a bright blue sky with a house by the horizon.

Minhyun puts down his brush and stretches after a while. Jaehwan takes it as a chance to knock on the nearby shelf and wave his hand to take Minhyun’s attention.

The man looks at him in surprise. “Sorry,” he says, giving the man a wave. “Have you been here long? You could’ve tapped me or something.”

Jaehwan smiles. “I didn’t want to bother you.”

Minhyun nods. He grabs a rag and wipes his hands with it, then rolls his sleeves up his forearms. “What’s up?”

The florist glances at his tattoos, then hands the petunias he brought. “These are for you,” he says with a little laugh. “To brighten up your place a little.”

“Okay,” Minhyun replies, sounding unsure. “Um. Thanks.” He walks to his desk to set the flowers down. “Anything else?”

Jaehwan gestures behind him. “Your discount for the first tattoo, that’s still up, right? Um. I was wondering if I could get one.”

“This is a tattoo shop,” Minhyun replies. “You can get one if you want one.”

“Right.” Jaehwan purses his lips. “Question though. Does it hurt?”

Minhyun laughs. “At first, I guess. I don’t remember.”

“Okay. Um. Listen,” Jaehwan sighs. “I don’t really know what to get and—”

“Are you honestly here for a tattoo?” Minhyun interrupts.

“What?” Jaehwan furrows his eyebrows and blushes. Was he that obvious? “Yeah!”

Minhyun hums, then clicks his tongue. “I suggest sleep on it. Or get drunk and come over like most of my clientele and regret it in the morning.”

“You tattoo drunk people?”

Minhyun smirks and tilts his head. “You have to know what you want, Jaehwannie.”

Jaehwan crosses his arms and lifts his chin. “Fine. Daffodils,” he blurts out. “I want… A small one. Of daffodils.”

“Daffodils,” Minhyun echoes. He nods and returns to his chair, takes his brush again and glances to Jaehwan. “Okay. Well. If you’re sure, come over tomorrow afternoon. I need to finish this commission and—” He gestures vaguely. “So you can think about it. Considering you’re just next door, just knock when you’re ready.”

Jaehwan sighs, nods, and leaves, but not without reminding Minhyun to put the petunias in a vase. Minhyun makes a show of taking the flowers with him to a doorway to what Jaehwan hopes is the kitchen for him to put the petunias in water as advised.

//

“Huh,” Minhyun says when he finds Jaehwan walking into his shop. He is wearing another of his sleeveless tees, his inked arm on display. “I’m honestly surprised you’re pushing through with it.”

Jaehwan just shrugs. Yes, he is pushing through getting a tattoo done, but with every minute passing by he feels like he could already regret it—or at least, regret the sheer idea of getting a tattoo for this tall, gorgeous albeit aloof man.

“Do you know what it will look like? And where are you getting it?” Minhyun asks. Quickly assuming he meant the tattoo, the florist nods and takes the piece of paper on which he had sketched his design last night. He hands it to Minhyun.

“Left forearm, maybe around here?” Jaehwan answers, gesturing to the space of his forearm just before the crook of his elbow. Minhyun looks at it his sketch and hums.

“Good then,” the tattooist says, and gestures for Jaehwan to take a seat on the reclining chair. When Jaehwan is seated, Minhyun sits on the stool beside him and instructs Jaehwan to rest his elbow on small table to his left. “I’ll start the sketch, alright?” He says. His voice is soft and his gaze is softer when he meets Jaehwan’s, and the florist nods. Minhyun gently places his hand on Jaehwan’s bicep; the touch is surprising but warm, and Jaehwan watches as he takes a pen to draw on his skin.

His desired tattoo isn’t too elaborate; it’s of two daffodils joined at the stem, colored blue as his favorite color. The sketch is finished soon, and Minhyun excuses himself to get everything ready. He tells Jaehwan that the bottles of water and chips to his right are free for him to consume; he also gives the florist some reminders before finally settling on his chair, gloves on and tattoo equipment in hand.

“Ready?” Minhyun asks. When Jaehwan sighs, the Minhyun gives him a warm smile. “Just tell me if you’re nervous or scared, okay?”

He sounds so warm and sincere, so different from the Minhyun he was sure he knew, that Jaehwan finds himself nodding. He almost jumps when he hears the equipment start to buzz, but Minhyun sets a firm hand on his bicep.

“So,” Minhyun starts. “What do daffodils mean?”

“What?” Jaehwan asks, glancing to him, but then there is the tingly sting on his skin that makes him gasp. Minhyun is smiling but focused on his task.

“Most people get tattoos because they hold importance to them,” Minhyun explains softly. Jaehwan bites his lip and looks at the ceiling instead, focuses on Minhyun’s voice instead of the odd sensation on his arm. It doesn’t hurt as much, but it’s still unfamiliar and he sighs. “Why daffodils?”

“Well,” Jaehwan sighs. “Daffodils mean—”

“New beginnings, I know,” Minhyun interrupts. "You brought some to me on your first day next door. But what does _this_ mean to _you_?”

Jaehwan chuckles but he doesn’t move. He clenches his free hand. This might be the most that Minhyun has spoken to him. “Creativity and inspiration,” Jaehwan explains. “And that sounds kind of a little cliche, but also....” Jaehwan sighs. “It’s my mother’s favorite flower. We used to grow them back home.”

“She introduced you to flowers?” Minhyun asks softly.

Jaehwan licks his lips. “Yeah.”

“Good,” Minhyun says. “I mean. That it means something to you.”

The florist turns slightly to Minhyun. “So all your tattoos?”

Minhyun chuckles softly. “Yeah.” He grows quiet then but Jaehwan doesn’t prod, just looks away from where the artist works on his forearm. The sting has dissipated a bit, or so he thought, because Minhyun takes a break and when he starts again, Jaehwan winces.

Minhyun pauses to set aside his equipment then stands. Jaehwan panics for a moment, and when Minhyun lifts his shirt just enough to reveal a patch of inked skin on his side, his panic worsens until he realizes the artist is showing his one of his tattoos. His entire right side, as far as Jaehwan could see, is covered with color, sprawling from under his jeans up to his ribs, covered by his shirt—what looks like a background of watercolor splashes and clouds, and inked on them are white and yellow flowers and green leaves.

Also, dear god, _abs,_ but he assumes it’s too thirsty for him to say that out loud.

“Those are daffodils,” Jaehwan breathes out. Minhyun drops his shirt and Jaehwan looks up to him. The taller man is smiling.

“Yeah.” He sits back down and returns to his equipment. “My mother used to read Wordsworth’s poem to me when I was younger. You ready?”

Jaehwan blinks away the disbelief and he nods. Minhyun smiles at him again, one that lets butterflies blossom in Jaehwan’s belly, before he starts inking the rest of the florist’s tattoo.

“I wandered lonely as a cloud,” Minhyun whispers as he works on Jaehwan’s arm.  “That floats on high o’er vales and hills, when all at once I saw a crowd, a host, of golden daffodils.” The tattooist chuckles. “Got me into poetry and… Well, this tattoo.”

Jaehwan smiles, even if Minhyun can’t see his face. “Didn’t peg you as one into poetry.”

“And what did you peg me as, exactly?”

“Depends. What did you peg me as?” Jaehwan hums. “You said you didn’t expect a florist as your neighbor.”

Minhyun laughs lightly. “To be honest? A singer maybe.” Jaehwan sees him scrunch his nose. “You have this… soft kind of aura. And your voice...”

Jaehwan laughs lightly. “My voice?”

Minhyun smirks. “I can hear you sing in the shower,” is all he says, and Jaehwan blushes, yet again.

//

The tattoo doesn’t take too long. Minhyun has it done and wrapped in under an hour, and Jaehwan examines it while the tattooist washes his hands. It’s beautiful, even more than he had expected, and he finds that he doesn’t regret the decision at all. Minhyun returns to give him a pamphlet and some aftercare instructions, and Jaehwan listens intently.

“How much do I owe you?” Jaehwan asks, reaching for his wallet.

Minhyun shrugs at him. “It’s on the house,”  he says, already back to his aloof demeanor as if he hadn’t just had conversation with Jaehwan earlier. “Discounted and all. Thanks for the flowers, by the way.”

Jaehwan thanks him, too, but he leaves, confused despite the warm feeling in his belly.

//

Minhyun visits the flower shop several days later. Jaehwan asks his what he needs, but Minhyun only shrugs. “I wanted to check on your tattoo,” he says.

Jaehwan grins and shows off his first ink. “It’s healing nicely. Really itchy though.”

“Don’t scratch,” Minhyun reminds.

“I know,” Jaehwan laughs. “Would you, um, would you like anything to drink?”

Minhyun shakes his head. “I just wanted to check in on you. Considering it was your first tattoo and all.”

“Right,” Jaehwan nods. “Well. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” Minhyun hesitates. He opens his mouth to speak, closes it, and then leaves without another word.

Jaehwan looks to where he had gone, confused.

//

Saturday morning has Jaehwan taking inventory of his freshly delivered flowers. The familiar roar of a motorcycle tapers off to a stop behind him, and he glances to his left to find Minhyun taking off his helmet and fixing his hair.

“Good morning,” Jaehwan says, curious as to where the man had gone if he was just coming home at this time of the morning.

“Morning, Jaehwannie,” Minhyun says with a little smirk, then he is walking to his apartment.

Jaehwan watches him, curiosity replaced with a dreamy sigh.

//

A delivery of flowers come in one time as Jaehwan is arranging his displayed succulents.

“Is this a joke?” He asks the delivery guy as he accepts the huge bouquet of gardenias and purple heathers. The man shrugs and asks Jaehwan to sign the receipt.

“Just paid to deliver them, sir,” he says. “Thanks. Have a good day,” he says, then he is walking off to his bike and leaving.

Jaehwan stares dumbly at the bouquet in his arms but he blushes nonetheless, caught in surprise.

“Someone’s got a secret admirer,” a voice drawls. Jaehwan sighs and playfully glares at Minhyun.

“These are probably from that other flower shop,” the florist says, examining the arrangement with a scrunch of his nose. No card or anything. “Like a warning or something.”

“Gardenias,” Minhyun deadpans.

“Uh-huh,” Jaehwan replies distractedly. The ribbon isn’t tied as neatly as he’d like, but otherwise, it’s a lovely bouquet.

“Don’t they mean admiration or something?” Minhyun asks, and when Jaehwan looks up, the tattooist’s eyebrows are furrowed.

Jaehwan tilts his head. “How did you—”

Minhyun makes a sound and brings his phone to his ear. “Yeah, I told you I’ll get it done this week,” he yells into the phone as he makes his way to his shop. Jaehwan watches him, confused.

When did he get here again?

“I swear that man is a warlock or something,” Jaehwan mutters, but he heads inside to put the flowers in water.

//

It’s the middle of the afternoon and Jaehwan, after a busy night of reading a rather exciting book, is at the verge of passing out in the shop. He takes a break and buys a tall cup of coffee from Sweet Ecstasy along with some croissants. It’s Daniel who is at the register.

“Do you know what Minhyun drinks?” Jaehwan asks.

Daniel smiles and nods. “He doesn’t drink coffee, but I can give you his usual?”

Jaehwan nods. “What’s that?”

The shopkeeper grins his toothy smile as he grabs a cup. “Chocolate ice with half the sugar and some hefty serving of pearls.”

“Sounds sweet,” Jaehwan notes, and wonders if Minhyun likes sweet things. “Sure.”

//

Minhyun is with a customer when Jaehwan comes in. He apologizes but Minhyun just smiles, and so does the broad-shouldered man he is tattooing.

“I got you something to drink and some bread,” Jaehwan says, setting the items on the desk across the room.

“What is it for?” Minhyun asks, confused.

“What?”

“That,” the man clarifies, gesturing to the items Jaehwan set down.

Jaehwan shrugs. “Just. Thought you could… Use some.” He blushes and bites his lip. “It’s a sleepy afternoon.”

“Right. Um.” Minhyun nods slowly. “Thank you.”

Jaehwan smiles. “No problem,” he says, then leaves with a wave at Minhyun and the man.

//

Minhyun comes in one day, bringing a bouquet of daffodils. “Your flowers have multiple meanings and they suck,” is the first thing he says, and Jaehwan greets him with a confused smile.

“These aren’t my flowers,” Jaehwan says with a little laugh as he eyes the arrangement. "And, well, usually the giver is supposed to, you know. Elaborate. Personally or with a card or a letter…” He shakes his head when he notices that Minhyun is quite tense, and Jaehwan walks around the counter to stand closer to him. “Are you okay?”   

Minhyun sighs, looks at the flowers he is bringing, then meets Jaehwan’s gaze. “They’re yours,” he mumbles. He sighs again. “I mean. I’m giving them to you.”

“Oh.” Jaehwan blinks.

“...Yeah.”

“Like…” Jaehwan points to himself. “Giving them to _me._ ”  

Minhyun sighs again. “Look, Jaehwan,” he says, and Jaehwan thinks he has never heard his name come out of Minhyun’s lips, ever, and he isn’t quite prepared for how warm the simple sound made him feel. Jaehwan bites his lip and lets the man speak. “I think you’re a nice person and I- honestly don’t know how to talk to you except in a language you seem to be comfortable with and—” He huffs. “And the gardenias didn’t clearly work—”

“The gardenias were from you?” Jaehwan interrupts.

Minhyun doesn’t answer, instead, he sighs again, the sound heavy. “I don’t- This was a dumb idea, I’ll just—”

“Hey,” Jaehwan whispers, and he smiles in a way he hopes is comforting as he reaches out for Minhyun’s hand, even if his heart is currently threatening to rip out of his chest. “Do you know what these mean?” He asks, gesturing to the daffodils.

Minhyun puffs his cheeks with air and shrugs as he looks down at the yellow flowers. “That I’ll have to bring back the bouquet to the other flower shop?”

Jaehwan laughs. “I’m a little hurt that you had to go to my competitor for flowers, but no.” He bites his lip. “I mean. In this context. Us.”

Minhyun rolls his eyes. “You really want me to say it.”

Jaehwan bites back a smile. He doesn’t take his hand off of Minhyun’s wrist, and he thinks he could feel the man’s own heartbeat race. “Of course.”

Minhyun rolls his eyes again. “Fine.” He sighs. “I like you.”

“See? That wasn’t so bad.” He finally pulls away, only to pick a daffodil from the bouquet. He gently places it in Minhyun’s hand. Minhyun stares down at it, practically glares at the flower.

“What are you—”

“Daffodils also kind of stand for unrequited love, you know,” Jaehwan says softly. Minhyun’s expression falls at it, but Jaehwan puts his hand on his. “But sometimes they mean affection returned,” Jaehwan smiles. “I like you too.”

Minhyun huffs and glares. “Did you really have to start with that?”

Jaehwan giggles. “Were you scared?”

“I’m bringing these flowers back,” the man mutters.

Jaehwan bites his lip, glances at the bouquet in Minhyun’s arm. “Or,” he starts with a little smile. “You could kiss me instead.”

Minhyun rolls his eyes. “I’ve waited a long time for that,” he mutters, and the idea of it makes Jaehwan blush. “I can wait a little longer.”

Jaehwan doesn’t.

//

("Finally!" Woojin exclaims when Jaehwan and Minhyun walk into Sweet Ecstasy one day, and he calls out for Jihoon and Daniel, who appear from the back kitchen with huge grins.

"I'm telling Seong-wu," Daniel says, then looks at the couple. "I can tell, Seong-wu, right?"

"Can we just get my drink?" Minhyun mutters, but Jaehwan kisses his cheek and his annoyance melts away.)


End file.
